The present invention relates to a pucker free garment seam and method of manufacture. More specifically, the invention is directed to an improved garment seam and method of manufacture which faciley eliminates a tendency of the seam to bunch or pucker around a sleeve attachment area and other similar areas following conventional laundering procedures.
A puckering phenomenon at seam lines has long plagued the garment industry. Seam pucker is typically caused by thread shrinkage which occurs during laundering of a garment. In particular, after a garment is purchased by a garment consumer it is subjected to laundering cycles as the shirt is worn and becomes soiled. During these laundering and drying cycles the sewing thread typically undergoes longitudinal shrinkage. It is this shrinkage at a rate greater than the surrounding shirt material that creates puckering at a seam joining two panels of fabric. In this, the sewing thread contracts upon being laundered and pulls on opposing garment components at the garment seam which in turn causes the garment components to buckle and thereby creating wrinkles along the garment seam. This effect is most noticeable in dress shirt shoulder seams. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide a method of manufacture and garment which would be free of this pucker phenomenon and which would maintain a seam which is smooth and pucker free even after multiple laundering operations.
Several attempts have been made to reduce seam pucker. One such attempt utilizes an interlining having a thermoplastic component in the interlining matrix. During the manufacture process the seam is ironed which reduces the cross-sectional thickness of the seam along the stitch line. The reduced thickness allows for slack in the sewing thread such that during subsequent laundering the sewing thread is permitted to shrink an amount equal to the slack. This attempt is not entirely effective in reducing seam pucker. First, the garment components sewn together at the seam are allowed to pull apart between outer stitches of the seam which results in buckling of the garment fabric. Second, the thread which is compressed in the interlining matrix becomes bound within the matrix thus shrinkage of the thread still results in at least a degree of seam pucker. Third, the manufacturing of an interlining results in overall increase in garment manufacturing cost. This cost is compounded if the interlining is a composite interlining.
Another prior art attempt at reducing seam pucker utilizes specified garment material. Specifically, the garment components sewn together at the seam are manufactured from material which stretches during the sewing process and which relaxes after the sewing process is complete. This relaxation provides for slack in the sewing thread. This attempt is also ineffective at reducing seam pucker. First, as before, the garment components sewn together at the seam are allowed to pull apart between outer stitches of the seam which results in buckling of the garment fabric. Second, only garments manufactured from certain stretch materials may be utilized to manufacture the garments. The disadvantages associated with this are clear.
Still other prior art attempts alter the nature of the sewing thread used in the sewing process. For example, one such attempt utilizes a composite sewing thread whereby one component of the thread is water soluble. During the laundering process the water soluble component dissolves thereby creating slack in the sewing thread which compensates for thread shrinkage. First, as before, the garment components sewn together at the seam are allowed to pull apart between outer stitches of the seam which results in buckling of the garment fabric. Second, the high cost of manufacturing a sewing thread altered in this way greatly increases the overall garment cost. Third, thread strength is greatly reduced by such a composite design. Last, commercial sewing apparatus are not well adapted to utilize altered thread. The other prior art attempts which alter the nature of the sewing thread are ineffective for the same noted reasons.
The difficulties and limitations suggested in the preceding are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many which demonstrate that although significant attention has been devoted to reducing pucker in garment seams, the puckerless garment seams and method of manufacture appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.